The Night of the Iguana (1964)

Plot of Night of the Iguana: It is afternoon in Mexico and a former school bus full of American ladies is being driven along the coast in the direction of Puerta Vallarta. It is a Blake’s Tour led by former clergyman T. Lawrence Shannon. When it comes to the bottom of the path leading up to the Costa Verde hotel Shannon disembarks the bus, takes the distributor cap and the group struggle up the hill until they are on the verandah of the hotel. Shannon asks for Fred but is greeted bu Maxine Faulk who is now the owner. He hopes that by staying in the hotel the leader of the group Miss Fellowes will be unable to contact Blake to report him. Maxine has two cabana boys who capture and tie up an iguana, intending to eat it later. Evening comes and a young member of the group Charlotte, supposedly being looked after by Miss Fellowes starts to seduce Shannon, who has been expelled from his parish for drinking and fornication, particularly with a young Sunday school teacher. Things change a bit when an American painter Hannah Jelkes and her 96 year old grandfather, a poet, arrive at the hotel. They have no money but Shannon persuades Maxine to allow them to stay. So the scene is set.

Content: Almost continuous drinking of one sort of stuff or another and a bit of smoking, seemingly limited by lack of cigarettes. Charlotte is young and sexy and it seems likely that it is only the intervention of Miss Fellowes which prevents her from  seducing Shannon. However not too much later she becomes enamored of Hank the driver of the bus. Shannon has continuous problems with Miss Fellows, who becomes hysterical when she catches Charlotte swimming with him in the sea close to the hotel. Hannah seems to be a steadying influence causing Shannon to take stock, but even so he has suicidal impulses.

A View: This film made money. It was made only three years after the first production of the play and Richard Burton was at the top of his fame, as much for his involvement with Elizabeth Taylor as for his starring roles in films of the time. It was nominated in several categories at the Oscars and won Best Costume Design (Black and White). I had forgotten to mention that it is in black and white.  I really like Tennessee Williams plays. The actors paint pictures with words. This play sometimes includes the actual pictures, but if you can’t get to the theatre to see the play, this film is a fine substitute.

Fun Fact: Before the film Puerto Vallarta was actually a remote fishing village. Now it is a tourtist destination and the locals have erected a statue to John Huston for making the place popular.